We have previously examined solubility in terms of saturated and unsaturated solutions. We also have an understanding of how temperature plays a key role in the amount of solute that may be dissolved. What exactly does it mean to dissolve a solute? In this activity you are going to examine what happens when you take a salt and dissolve in into water. In this scenario, the salt would be the solute because it is the substance that is dissolving and water would be the solvent, because it is the dissolving agent.
For the second half of this activity you will be ask to determine a solution concentration. The solution concentration refers to how much solute is dissolved into a specific quantity of solvent. For example a solution that contains 5 grams of NaCl (table salt) and 95 grams of water has a mass of 100 grams combined. The amount of salt is only 5% of the solutions mass, therefore we refer to the solution as being a 5% salt solution. We can also think about this salt solution as being a 5 parts per hundred (pph) salt solution. The solution having a mass of 100 grams or 100 parts and the salt only taking up 5% or 5 parts of the entire 100.
You may have also seen the abbreviations ppm or ppb. These stand for parts per million and parts per billion, respectively. A 5 ppm salt solution would contain 5 grams for every 999,995 grams of water or 0.000005 grams of salt per every 100 grams of water, etc.
Pre-Lab Questions
1) What is a solute? The substance that is being dissolved.
2) What is a solvent? The substance that the solute is dissolved into.
3) What is a solution concentration? The amount of solute that is dissolved into a specific quantity of solvent. ie. 5% salt solution, 5pph
4) What does pph stand for? Parts per hundred
5) Hypothesis: Using the solubility curve here, predict if 30 grams of salt will saturate 70 grams of water. Remember, solubility curve is based on 100g of water, you are dissolving only into 70g. (Hint: Multiply saturation point by .70) 30 grams of salt will saturate the solution because out of 100 grams of water 32 grams of salt will saturate the solution. Since it is only 70 grams of water, multiply the 32 by .70. Only 22.4 grams of salt are needed to saturate the solution.
Procedure
Visualizing the Dissolving Process
For the first part of this activity, visit the following website: http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/soluble-salts
You do not need to download the application, you only need to click Run Now, which will allow you to download a smaller file to run the application.
1.) Starting with the default settings (water and table salt), shake the salt shaker once or twice and record what happens to the NaCl ions as they come into contact with the water. Record these observations in the data section.
2.) Determine the maximum amount of salt that you can dissolve before the ions stop dissassociating when they hit the water. Record this number in the data section.
3.) Pick two other salts and repeat step two with them. Record this in the data section
Determining Solution Concentrations
4.) When you are done with the simulation, grab materials from your teacher. You will need the following materials:
One empty clean paper cup
One paper cup with salt
Beaker
Spoon
Graduated cylinder
5.) Measure out 95 ml of water into the beaker. 95 ml of water is equal to 95 grams of water (Density of water = 1g/ml)
6.) Weigh the empty paper cup and then place about 5 grams of salt into the paper cup.
7.) Place salt in the beaker
8.) Record observations in Data Section. Does all of the salt dissolve.
9.) Rinse out beaker. Fill Beaker with 70 grams of water (70 ml). Measure out 30 grams of salt and stir into beaker. Record observations
10.) Clean and return all materials.
Data Visualizing Solubility
Describe what happened to the salt molecule as it hit the water:
The ions separated (disassociated) from each other.
What is the maximum amount of salt that you can dissolve, before the ions stop disassociating. Make sure you record the amount of water that you were dissolving the salt into. What is this called when the solution will not dissolve any more solute?
only about 180 ions of each were able to dissolve. 5.0x 10^-23 liters of water
What is the maximum amount of solute that you were able to dissolve. Make sure you also record the amount of water that you were dissolving the salt into.
about 15 mercury ions and 30 bromide ions were able to dissolve in 1.0 x10^-16 Liters of water about 44 silver and 44 bromide ions were able to dissolve in 1.0 x 10^-16 liters of water
Determining Solution Concentration
Observation of 5 gram salt solution
Unsaturated salt solution
Observation of 30g salt solution
Saturate salt solution
Analysis
1) What happens to the ions when the solute dissolves into the solvent? They disassociated.
2) What happens to the ions when a solution becomes saturated? The ions stop disassociating and remain bonded.
3) What factors might play a role in the saturation level of the solvent? The type and amount of solute.
4) How many parts per hundred was the 30gram salt solution? 30pph
5.) How many parts per million was the 5 gram salt solution? 5pph
Conclusion
How did the simulation help you to better understand the dissolving process? Restate your hypothesize from Pre-lab question #5. Were you correct? Explain any sort of errors that could have occurred while completing this activity.
The simulation help me to visualize what exactly the ionic compounds were doing when they hit the solvent. It helped me understand why I could no longer see them in the solvent. My hypothesis was correct and the 30 gram salt solution was sufficient to saturate the 70 grams of water. Errors that could have occurred would be measurements, difficulty with the simulation, etc.
Solubility and the Dissolving Process
Names and Roles:
Student 1 - Group LeaderStudent 2 - Experimenter/Observer
Student 3 - Experimenter/Observer
Student 4 - Recorder
Background Information
We have previously examined solubility in terms of saturated and unsaturated solutions. We also have an understanding of how temperature plays a key role in the amount of solute that may be dissolved. What exactly does it mean to dissolve a solute? In this activity you are going to examine what happens when you take a salt and dissolve in into water. In this scenario, the salt would be the solute because it is the substance that is dissolving and water would be the solvent, because it is the dissolving agent.For the second half of this activity you will be ask to determine a solution concentration. The solution concentration refers to how much solute is dissolved into a specific quantity of solvent. For example a solution that contains 5 grams of NaCl (table salt) and 95 grams of water has a mass of 100 grams combined. The amount of salt is only 5% of the solutions mass, therefore we refer to the solution as being a 5% salt solution. We can also think about this salt solution as being a 5 parts per hundred (pph) salt solution. The solution having a mass of 100 grams or 100 parts and the salt only taking up 5% or 5 parts of the entire 100.
You may have also seen the abbreviations ppm or ppb. These stand for parts per million and parts per billion, respectively. A 5 ppm salt solution would contain 5 grams for every 999,995 grams of water or 0.000005 grams of salt per every 100 grams of water, etc.
Pre-Lab Questions
1) What is a solute?The substance that is being dissolved.
2) What is a solvent?
The substance that the solute is dissolved into.
3) What is a solution concentration?
The amount of solute that is dissolved into a specific quantity of solvent. ie. 5% salt solution, 5pph
4) What does pph stand for?
Parts per hundred
5) Hypothesis: Using the solubility curve here, predict if 30 grams of salt will saturate 70 grams of water. Remember, solubility curve is based on 100g of water, you are dissolving only into 70g. (Hint: Multiply saturation point by .70)
30 grams of salt will saturate the solution because out of 100 grams of water 32 grams of salt will saturate the solution. Since it is only 70 grams of water, multiply the 32 by .70. Only 22.4 grams of salt are needed to saturate the solution.
Procedure
Visualizing the Dissolving ProcessFor the first part of this activity, visit the following website: http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/soluble-salts
You do not need to download the application, you only need to click Run Now, which will allow you to download a smaller file to run the application.
1.) Starting with the default settings (water and table salt), shake the salt shaker once or twice and record what happens to the NaCl ions as they come into contact with the water. Record these observations in the data section.
2.) Determine the maximum amount of salt that you can dissolve before the ions stop dissassociating when they hit the water. Record this number in the data section.
3.) Pick two other salts and repeat step two with them. Record this in the data section
Determining Solution Concentrations
4.) When you are done with the simulation, grab materials from your teacher. You will need the following materials:
5.) Measure out 95 ml of water into the beaker. 95 ml of water is equal to 95 grams of water (Density of water = 1g/ml)
6.) Weigh the empty paper cup and then place about 5 grams of salt into the paper cup.
7.) Place salt in the beaker
8.) Record observations in Data Section. Does all of the salt dissolve.
9.) Rinse out beaker. Fill Beaker with 70 grams of water (70 ml). Measure out 30 grams of salt and stir into beaker. Record observations
10.) Clean and return all materials.
Data
Visualizing Solubility
- Describe what happened to the salt molecule as it hit the water:
The ions separated (disassociated) from each other.- What is the maximum amount of salt that you can dissolve, before the ions stop disassociating. Make sure you record the amount of water that you were dissolving the salt into. What is this called when the solution will not dissolve any more solute?
only about 180 ions of each were able to dissolve. 5.0x 10^-23 liters of water- What is the maximum amount of solute that you were able to dissolve. Make sure you also record the amount of water that you were dissolving the salt into.
about 15 mercury ions and 30 bromide ions were able to dissolve in 1.0 x10^-16 Liters of waterabout 44 silver and 44 bromide ions were able to dissolve in 1.0 x 10^-16 liters of water
Determining Solution Concentration
- Observation of 5 gram salt solution
Unsaturated salt solution- Observation of 30g salt solution
Saturate salt solutionAnalysis
1) What happens to the ions when the solute dissolves into the solvent?They disassociated.
2) What happens to the ions when a solution becomes saturated?
The ions stop disassociating and remain bonded.
3) What factors might play a role in the saturation level of the solvent?
The type and amount of solute.
4) How many parts per hundred was the 30gram salt solution?
30pph
5.) How many parts per million was the 5 gram salt solution?
5pph
Conclusion
How did the simulation help you to better understand the dissolving process? Restate your hypothesize from Pre-lab question #5. Were you correct? Explain any sort of errors that could have occurred while completing this activity.The simulation help me to visualize what exactly the ionic compounds were doing when they hit the solvent. It helped me understand why I could no longer see them in the solvent. My hypothesis was correct and the 30 gram salt solution was sufficient to saturate the 70 grams of water. Errors that could have occurred would be measurements, difficulty with the simulation, etc.